Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Cute As A...

I absolutely love when there are photos in cookbooks. For some reason I find it assuring to see what the final result is supposed to look like. From the moment I got this cookbook I was excited to make this week's TWD (Tuesdays with Dorie) recipe. These Brownie Buttons looked too cute for words!

They were really simple to assemble. The only trouble I had was putting the white chocolate glaze on. Dorie suggested dipping the top of the brownie into the glaze to make a smooth top. Unfortunately my glaze didn't want to adhere that way. So instead I used a spatula to put on the glaze.

I didn't try any of the buttons since I'm Weight Watchers. But Nate was nice enough to be my official taste tester. He commented that these two-bite brownies would be a perfect addition to a cup of coffee.

Brownie Buttons

from: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional)

1 tsp sugar (optional)

1/4 cup plus 2 T flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 stick (4 T) butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter 2 miniature muffin pans, each with a dozen cups, and place them on a baking sheet.

If you're using orange zest, combine the zest and sugar in a small bowl, rubbing them between your fingertips to blend; set aside. Whisk together the flour and salt.

Melt the butter, chocolate and brown sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula and keeping an eye on the pan so nothing overheats or burns. When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and cool for a minute or two.

Stir the vanilla, egg and the zest (if you're using it) into the chocolate mixture. When the mixture is well blended, add the flour and stir only until it is incorporated. You should have a smooth, glossy batter.

Spoon the batter into 16 of the muffin cups, using about a teaspoon of batter to fill each cup 3/4 full. Put 1 tsp of water in each empty cup.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops of the buttons spring back when touched. Transfer the pans to racks and cool for 3 minutes before carefully releasing the buttons. Cool to room temperature on the racks.

To Make the Optional Glaze:

Melt 2 oz of white chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir constantly and don't leave the chocolate for even a minute - white chocolate scorches easily. As soon as the chocolate is smooth, remove from heat.

One by one, dip the tops of the buttons into the chocolate, twirling the buttons so that you get a little swirl at the center. Refrigerate the buttons for 15 minutes to set the glaze.